REVIEW:
Love You Hate You Drive You Wild
At Pip Theatre, Brisbane
Reviewed by: Grace Wilson
Date of Performance: 2nd of May 2025
Photo Credit: Images by Anderson
Three Words: Moose, Depression, Hope
Best Thing: Outstanding accents by Alisha O’Brien and Colin Smith
Mid Interval Thought: Where in the world are we going?
What My Guest Thought: Sound could have been utilised a lot more
How the audience reacted: A good chuckle and a few moans and groans at certain jokes
If I could change one thing: More dynamic transitions through each scene
Acting: Alisha O’Brien (Molly) and Colin Smith (Moose) were standouts for their accent work, but Matthew Filkins (Gavin) takes the cake for a well rounded and hearty performance as a loveable David Bowie impersonator. Daren King (Clive/Lionel/Eddy/Jerry/Pete) was worth a belly laugh for his overly-charming boss personas and his calm and cool yogi performance. Bianca Butler Reynolds (Anikka) met the energy of her character with humour and charm, although some jokes felt repetitive and fell flat.
Writing: Characters felt one sided, and scenes jumped around with little to no continuity. It was hard to figure out what everyone’s role exactly was and where the story was actually going until after intermission. Once this was obvious, the writing began to hone in on delivering the same message to the audience over and over. With no real conclusion of how to move on with depression, the dance number and bow on tip ending made the message feel watered down.
Directing: Simplistic and sharp, although jarring at times. Felt like the director chose to play the work a little safe with staging and transitions - It should have leant into the crazy a lot more.
Overall: A comedic night out that will be enjoyed by all ages. More emphasis should be placed on the trigger warnings of this show, as the discussions on mental health are quite jarring and graphic. Support services should also be listed and made accessible to the audience, and future attendees should be aware of the content of this play. However, a very welcome and necessary conversation about mental health and the place of young people in their twenties.
My review in emojis: 🫎💻👨🎤
Diamond Rating (out of 5): 💎💎💎
Runs until: May 10th
Tickets can be bought at: https://piptheatre.org/love-you-hate-you-drive-you-wild/